CASTLE ROCK — Taholah withstood a fourth-quarter rally by Lake Quinault in the semifinals of the District IV Class 1B Tournament on Monday at Castle Rock.

Clinching a regional berth, Taholah (12-1) will face Mary M. Knight for the district championship at 4 p.m. Saturday at Montesano.

Lake Quinault finished the season with a 9-9 record. The Elks scored the game’s final three points in the closing seconds but fell barely short.

Nicole Hidalgo led the Chitwhins with a double-double— 16 points and 12 rebounds. Rachel Cheney also had a double-double—-13 points and 12 rebounds. Marquel Waugh pulled down nine rebounds and dished up three assists. Trish Charley swiped four steals.

“We came out with our adrenaline rushing,” said Taholah head coach Frieda Waugh. “We needed to calm down and execute and did better in the second half. It was a good game and it came down to whoever wanted it more. Our girls stepped up to dominate the floor on the inside.”

Romey Begay was the leading scorer for the Elks with 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals, four blocks and two assists. Alex Blackburn grabbed five rebounds to go with her 10 points. Mikayla Blackburn pulled down five rebounds to go with her eight points.

Hannah Allen scored eight points, swiped four steals and dished up two assists.

“We started out with man-to-man defense on Karlena (Walther), but she still scored eight points,” said Quinault assistant coach Jon Neeland. “They (the Chitwhins) shot well in the third quarter and our shots weren’t falling in. We were coming back in the fourth quarter.”

Neeland praised Johanna Esparza for doing a good job defensively in relief on Walther. He also thanked seniors Donna Gerard, Mikayla Blackburn, Allen and Esparza for a fine season.

CASTLE ROCK — Jaycee Valley led Mary M. Knight with 17 points as the Owls thumped Columbia Adventist in the semifinals of the District IV Class 1B Tournament on Monday at Castle Rock.

The Owls (15-4) will face Taholah for the district title on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Montesano.

Valley also grabbed eight rebounds, swiped four steals and dished up four assists. Lauren Dierkop had a double-double—with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Miranda Sowle pulled down nine rebounds, swiped four steals, dished up seven assists and added five blocks to go with her seven points. Ashley Kiliz had a career-high nine points, seven rebounds and dished up three assists in her role as wing and guard.

Knight coach Lance Valley praised Aimee Bearden for coming in off the bench for her hustle and defensive intensity.

ROCHESTER — Four players scored 10 points apiece as superbly balanced North Beach stayed alive in the District IV Class 2B Tournament by trouncing Northwest Christian on Monday at Rochester.

Mike Beck, Corey Thornton, Justin Chong and Gabe Hernandez each tallied 10 points for the Hyaks (20-3), who will face Adna in another loser-out contest scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Rochester.

Outstanding defense helped the Hyaks to a 33-13 halftime bulge. Navigator ace Austin Koukal (the son of former Hoquiam High standout Marshall Koukal) was limited to 10 points for the contest.

“He was the focus of our defense because he’s a heck of a shooter,” Hyak coach Larry Moore said. “I thought we played a pretty solid first half. I thought our press hurt them in the first half.”

Northwest Christian shot only 18 percent from the field.

Hernandez also contributed 13 rebounds, five assists and five steals. Beck also had a fine all-around game with five assists and five steals, while Thornton pulled down eight rebounds. Carson Ketter was cited for his play off the bench.

ROCHESTER — Fueled by strong defense, Raymond remained alive in the District IV Class 2B Tournament by upending Wahkiakum on Monday at Rochester.

Details were unavailable at press time. The Seagulls (10-11) will face Napavine in another loser-out contest scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday at Rochester.

Pirates 53, Wildcats 48

ROCHESTER — Adna’s Trevor Moon made a 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining as the Pirates eliminated Ocosta from the District 2B Tournament Monday at Rochester.

Adna will play North Beach in another losers bracket game at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Rochester.

Despite being ahead for most of the game, Ocosta wound up ending its season with a 10-12 record.

Jerett Latimer was the leading scorer for the Pirates with 15 points.

Alex Herrera led the Wildcats with 12 points, closely followed by Caleb Tackett with 11 points and five assists.

“We were ahead for most of the game, but it was back and forth in the fourth quarter,” said Ocosta head coach Jason Quinby. “I am proud of our guys for bouncing back from a tough loss on Thursday night to Wahkiakum. Our guys played with a lot of heart tonight.”

Quinby praised seniors Herrera and James Benn for fine play throughout the year.

CASTLE ROCK — Oakville jumped out to a 26-15 halftime lead and held off a Wishkah comeback in the semifinals of the District IV Class 1B Tournament on Saturday at Castle Rock.

The Acorns (14-8) clinch a regional berth and will face Three Rivers Christian for the district championship at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Montesano. The Loggers (16-5) will face off with Taholah for the third and final regional berth at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Montesano.

“It was a good ole’ fashioned barn-burner,” Oakville head coach Cliff Harris said. “I can’t say enough of the quality of Wishkah’s basketball players. It is a pleasure to play against them. Matt Ferrier is an excellent coach. These teams are so close. If we played this game 10 times, we’d win five and they’d win five. With our first five and their first five, I think we just wanted it a bit more.”

CASTLE ROCK — Shutting down Taholah’s offense for three quarters, Three Rivers Christian advanced to the championship game of the District 1B tournament by beating the Chitwhins in a semifinal Monday at Castle Rock.

Three Rivers will face Oakville for the district championship at 6 p.m. Saturday at Montesano. Taholah (8-8) takes on Wishkah in a winner-to-regionals, loser-out contest for third place at 2 p.m., also at Montesano.

“They switched up their defense quite a bit and they shadowed Keanu pretty good,” Taholah assistant coach Eric Capoeman said. “They didn’t let him shoot very much. They knew who our scorer was and they shut him down.”

Curleybear did have six rebounds and three steals. Taholah’s Brett Orozco was cited for fine reserve play.

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